Lubricator



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LUBRIGAIOR. No. 542,118; Patented July 2, 1895,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM E. SWEET, OF DQWAGIAC, MICHIGAN.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,118, dated July 2, 1895.

Application filed October 18, 1894. Serial No. 526,330. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SWEET, of

Dowagiac, county'of Cass, State of Michigan,

.have invented certain new and useful Ima central vertical section of my oil-receptacle asapplied to a windmill, some of the parts being shown in elevation, the valve-trip being shown in the valve-operating position in full lines and shown out of position in dotted lines. Fig. II shows a part of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. I, showing means of conducting a lubricant from the receptacle to a particular class of bearings, shown as crankbearings. Fig. III is a detached view showin g the special auxiliary valve mechanism designed to be employed with crank-bearings.

- Referring to the figures on the drawings, 1 indicates a'suitable receptacle, preferably of oblong cylindrical shape, and having a conical cap 2 covering the entire top of the receptacle and secured to it, preferably by screw-threads 3. The conical shape and area of the cap is designed to shed water and protect the contents of the receptacle. The receptacle is supported in position by suitable means, as, for example, a bracket-support 4, suitahlv secured in place, as upon a windmillframe 5. The means of attaching the bracketsupport to the receptacle preferably consists of a split collar 6, made integral with the bracket-support and holding a cup 7. The interior of the cup is screw-threaded, as indicated at 8, to receive the screw-threads of a depending nipple 9, secured by suitable means, as, for example, by soldering, to the bottom of the receptacle l0.

The bottom of the receptacle is preferably secured considerably above the lower edge thereof, so that the cup and nipple and the working parts of the machine generally are enveloped ina hood II, which completely protects them from the elements.

12. indicates a valve designed to operate against a seat 13 for regulating the flow of the liquid from the interior of the receptacle into the cup 7. The valve is preferably inclosed within a case 14, having outlet-apertures 15, and is held normally closed by a spring 16, preferably coiled and within a spring-case 17, which forms a separate prolongation of the valve-case 1a. The valve is preferably provided with an axial stem 18, which extends beyond the valve on each side, projecting suitable distances to permit of sufficient longitudinal movement through the upper end of the spring-case 1 7 and the bottom of the cup 7. A sleeve 19 in the cup is preferably provided to prevent leakage of oil around the lower end of the valve-stem, the sleeve being designed to extend above the level of oil which would at any time accummulate within the cup. Any suitable means for lifting the valve-stein and so permitting egress of oil from the receptacle may be employed, as, for example, a trip 20, pivoted in the bracket-frame l4 and having an arm 21 moving in the path of the lower end of the valvestem. It is obvious that this trip may be moved manually, but I prefer to have it actuated automatically by the machinery to which it is attached. For this purpose, for example, the trip may be made in the shape of a bell-crank lever held normally by the action of the spring 16 in the path of a projection 22, secured to the vane 23 of a windmill. It is well known that the mill is thrown out of gear by swinging the vane into or out of the wind. I prefer to have the projection 22 actuate the trip when the vane is being swungout of gear, because the vane is thrown into gear by its own weight, which might not be sufficient to operate the trip under certain conditions, but it is thrown out by the strength of the operator, which willalways be suflicient to overcome any opposing resistance of the trip and the'parts which it actuates.

In the foregoing description I have shown mechanism for operating the. valve 12 from time to time as may be required to discharge oil into the cup 7. From the cup it is designed to conduct the oil to the different bearing IOC the bottom of the cup aplnrallty of ducts 24,

which preferably consist of short stout tubes projecting below the cup and opening into it through the bottom. These ducts are provided with suitable conduits that respectively carry the lubricator to the different bearings of the machine. I prefer to make these conduits of rigid material, inasmuch as rubber or such flexible conduits are liable to injury from the weather.

It would be difficult in practice to make the conduits without special mechanism operate satisfactorily in connection with movable bearings. For that purpose I prefer to employ in the bottom of each of such conduitsa gravity-valve 26, working above a valve-seat 27 and carrying upon the end of its shank 28 a butfer 29. This valve may be called the auxiliary valve, because it normally retains the lubricant discharged from the cup 7 into the conduit and is lifted by the movement of the mechanism it is designed to lubricate.

of the auxiliary valve will be lifted sufficiently to discharge a modicum of the pent-up oil within the lower end of the conduit into the y.

flared month 36 of the conducting'tube. this means the movable bearings may be conveniently and certainly oiled as required.

In order to prevent waste of the lubricating material, the conducting-tubes may be SCI made of different diameters, smaller ones being used for lubricating comparatively inactive parts and larger ones employed for more important bearings.

It should be observed that the bottom 10 of the receptacle 1 is concave and that the cup 7 communicates with it centrally. Therefore; the oil in the receptacle will always be discharged into the cup, which is rigidly and inflexibly carried by a strong collar 6.

What I claim is- 1. In lubricating apparatus, the combination with a support, cup, and superimposed receptacle, of mechanism for controlling the egress of liquid from the receptacle to the cup, a conduit adapted to convey liquid from the cup to a bearing, a valve controlling the discharge .from the conduit in the lower end thereof, a conducting tube adapted to convey the liquid to a movable bearing, said conducting tube being borne upon a movable part and adapted to operate in its movement the valve of the conduit, substantially as set forth.

2. In a lubricating apparatus, the combination with a cup and superimposed receptacle, of a valve controlling the egress of the lubricant from the receptacle tothe cup, discharge ducts leading from the bottom of the cup, automatically actuated valves in said ducts, a trip beneath said cup operatively connected with the first named valve, and mechanism upon the machine to be lubricated adapted to actuate the trip to permit the egress of the lubricant from the receptacle to the cup and ducts, substantially as specified.

3. In a lubricating apparatus, the combination with a cup and superimposed receptacle, of a valve adaptedto control the egress of the lubricant from the receptacle to the cup, a trip operatively connected with said valve, discharge ducts leading from the bottom of the cup, valves in the ducts, and conducting tubes borne upon a movable part adapted to actuate the'valves in the ducts, substantially as specified.

4:. In a lubricating apparatus, the combination with a duct, of a valve therein provided with a projecting part or buffer, a conducting tube carried upon a moving part and provided with an interior valve actuating grate seated within its upper end whereby the buffer enters the conducting tube and permits of the contiguousrelation between the adjacent ends of the duct and tube, substantially as specified.

5. In a lubricating device for wind mills, the combination with a suitable support, of a receptacle and ducts, a valve controlling the egress of the lubricant from the receptacle to the ducts, a movable vane and intermediate mechanism whereby the valve is actuated by the movement of the vane when thrown into the wind to permit the egress of the lubricant from the receptacle to the ducts, and automatically actuated valves in said ducts controlling the egress of the lubricant therefrom to the parts to be lubricated, substantially as specified.

6. In alubricating device for wind mills, the

combination with a suitable support, of a re- 

